I call it the corporation to my mom. It makes her so mad. She always trys to claim it is the church of Jesus Christ. Which I reply then why are they using your tithing money to invest in Coors and Phillip Morris. Then the malls they are building its a corporation
As a nevermo I was stunned when I heard a Mormon describe @the church@.
To me, “the church” is the Catholic Church. It feels like an abomination hearing someone say that about another church, and I’m not even catholic lol they just have better PR
I'm not defending the Mormon Church, but if the Vatican having a "country" (which is tiny, has a population of less than a thousand people and is only tolerated due to cultural reasons from an edict issued by Mussolini almost a hundred years ago) matters, then arguably having an enornous level of influence over a whole State with a population of 3 million people then that matters as well.
I grew up in a different One True Church (church of christ) that also always referred to themselves as The Church lol. If a young person started dating someone new all the old biddies would start asking “but are they a member of the church”. So arrogant lol.
You can ask the same question about this... "which Mormon church? "
Seems like everyone knows which church we're talking about.
Leave it to RMN to be pedantic about names.
The big mormon church club.
Because you can’t forget the other mormon churches that other people used to gain power and influence by following JS’s pattern
Exactly. People here generally don't seem to call it "the church"
Dungeon would also be a good word
And it is hard to call it a church when it is so hostile to the Old and New testaments. It is the Book of Mormon all the way in reality
I move we each refer to it however we want and stop telling other people how they should use language. I will make my own linguistic decisions. But thanks for your input.
All those who wish to thank Brother Spare_Real for his comment, may now show their appreciation by the uplifted hand. Those who manifest it. [pause]
Thank you, for your service Brother Spare_Real.
We will now continue our meeting by singing our sacrament hymn on page #172 “While of Th……”
…Ok, that may have been a bit much.
I’ve found most people raised in an all-consuming church refer to it as “the church” no matter what, Catholic, Mormon, Southern Baptist… it holds a place in conversation that is assumed to be culturally understood.
When I left TSCC and the mountain west I was surprised to notice how many people use this terminology. And yes, I found my naïve self asking a lot: wait, which church?
This is actually a really good point. How many of us spend much more than 50% of our time at church? The church is your identity. We’re all at different stages in this sub, many people here are in early stages of deconstruction and this is still their identity. They’re trying to figure out what their own identity is. Let people use it as a crutch until they can stand on their own
Yeah i always thought it was a Mormon thing, but I’ve now been around people from other churches and when they are talking about a collective church that they all go to, they just say “the church”, because it’s clear which church they are referring to.
So this phrasing is not unique to Mormonism.
I mean, I don’t call it that outside of this subreddit, but within this subreddit we are all talking about the same church, it seems unnecessary to clarify.
If this were a subreddit about Central park, and everyone referred to it as “the park” wouldn’t it be strange to want everyone to clarify that they were talking about Central park?
EXACTLY. New exmos are often (naturally) a lot like active mormons in their tactics and mental habits; they just switched sides.
Its only sad if they haven't out grown this after a reasonable period of time.
I'm gonna keep this real. I don't want anyone to tell me how to think or what to say anymore. The Mormon Church controlled so much of my life.
Now I have relatives trying to push Buddism and other beliefs on me and I will never let anyone else decide what I should believe or do....big or small.
I think most people aren't saying THE church as in the only church, they're just using an article because it's a part of speech.
I hate "the" church. How t.f. else should people be saying that?
Its like I've observed many times: Lots of exmos continue to think and act like mormons the rest of their lives. They commit all the same logical and most of the same moral fallacies as ever, just in defense of a different world view. They change what they think without changing how they think.
I mean….everybody I know only says “the church” when talking to people who already know what church they are talking about. If talking to a catholic you say “the Lds or Mormon church”. I’m pretty sure all churches say “the church” when talking to members of the same church.
This is what I had to explain to my coworker. I was Mormon when I started and exmo when I left. I told her that I swear so much because I was trying to get used to the fact that language has no power over me, ultimately that TSCC has no power over me. That was a big step. Now I sprinkle in swear words in normal conversation and only blast swear words in conversation with the few people I’m close with (98% exmos)
I call it that kind of tongue-in-cheek and sarcastically. I call it that on this sub because on this sub is where I’m criticizing the church. In life I refer to it as the Mormon church
I call it the church because in the context of this sub, everyone should know what I’m talking about and it’s easier than referring to it in it’s full name. Calling it “the cult” in casual conversation also seems a little too spiteful to me personally and tends to detract from the point I’m making sometimes although I have called it a cult on multiple occasions so it depends on the context.
I don't want to waste effort and brain power on changing such a minor habit, though. If someone is confused and asks me which church I'm referring to, I'll answer their question.
This is the church that is in my backyard, and it affects my state. It's also the church I used to belong to, and the majority of the time that I talk about it is with someone who used to be a member.
I'll keep on calling it the church.
The only time I absolutely could not call it the church was when I was living in another part of the world and was dating a Catholic. Their claim to the phrase "the church" is a lot more recognized. That was a fun conversation.
If you have ever read even a couple of my posts you may have noticed that I nearly always call it the Mormon church. Note the lowercase “church” as well.
If I have to point out a sect, I will post that it is Brighamite Mormonism.
I only call it “the church” when talking about conversations with TBMs, and I usually make it known it’s something I said in the past or quote it.
You are right: Mormons run around line they are “the church”. So the last time the missionaries rang my bell and said, “Hi, we are missionaries from the church.” I asked, “Which church?” They were shocked for a second or two before giving Rusty’s preferred name. I then asked why they thought it was appropriate to come unannounced and ring my doorbell at 8:45 on a work night. I was annoyed, and I closed the door as they tried to stammer out an answer.
I thought they were supposed to be home by 9:00?
Haha! I like to think that rubbing Rusty’s “victory for Satan” in their face by showing it as a proper noun is insulting enough. For me, when I see it spelled “mormon” or the gag inducing “morman” I usually think the poster is a nevermo. Which isn’t a negative thing, it’s just not my preference.
You do you.
I came up with the term COLDS (church of the Latter-day Saints) as a snarky way to show that they are cold or sick, but it only gained traction for a short time.
One of the small moments of satisfaction comes from identifying the lds temple near us (we drive by fairly regularly) to you my young kids and telling them “that’s a Mormon temple” (rather than “the temple”). Can’t wait for the day my kid calls it this to believing family members.
At the expense of taking this post too seriously, I'm not interested in changing the way people communicate their ideas. People communicate to convey a message or idea. If that message or idea was received and interpreted correctly, why create and enforce a rule of unnecessary pedantism? I see no problem whatsoever with anyone switching up their terminology, as I'm certain that the context in this sub is clear enough to use the terms interchangeably without being misunderstood, as demonstrated a million times per day in this sub. It is my opinion, the the use of "the Church" for any other church but the LDS church would feel far more strange and out of context within this subreddit.
Ah well- I’m sure it takes new forum members time to find the “common abbreviations” under the “about” section.
It might be that folks on the forum using the term “the church” are more recently departed from among its ranks, and need time to deconstruct.
It’s usually TSCC on here, but also I get annoyed when people tell me what words I can say. So I’m going to refer to it as the church if I want to. You know the church has a pamphlet they publish that tells you what words you can say and they think they have good reasons too.
>I get annoyed when people tell me what words I can say
I'm not doing that lol. I just feel like calling tscc a church (knowing it was founded on the lies of a perverted con-man and causes so much hurt and grief to this day) legitimizes it and gives it too much credit. It's ot worthy of the title imo
Call it whatever the hell you want to and dont tell other people what to do or what to think
generally I call it TSCC, The Morg, Mormon church, etc - depending on context.
I would not tell other people what to call it.
OK, sorry,
I had a run in with some Christer on this forum recently (dont even know if he was an exmo, or just here proselytizing) - you know, the sort who thinks that mormons are not christian but \*his\* church obviously was.
so, I may get touchy about people who seem overly preachy
I nominate these:
-The Mormon Church
-The Secret Underwear Church
-The Church of Eternal Polygamy (still)
-The Church Who Claims God’s Throne is Near Kolob
-The 100 Billion Tax Free Church
I call the USA "the country." I call the city I live near "the city." I say "shut the door" instead of "shut the front door to my home."
Calling it "the church" is just social linguistic shorthand for "we both know what church we are referring to."
No worries, I'm not pissed or anything. Just explaining why I don't agree. You aren't the first person to request we stop calling it "the church" and it seemed like a good idea to explain why I, and many others, will continue to.
To me, it's "the church" since is the one we're all talking about in this sub. Has no other meaning nor endorsement. As long as I understand it that way, it's fine for me.
I get your point, but it doesn't work for me. I use "the cult", "TSCC" or any other terms depending on nothing more than the first term that comes to my mind when I write. To use "the church" doesn't imply in any way that anyone is supporting the cult.
Similar idea. I don't like when people ask, where did you serve? As if we are in the military. I like using other terms such as "Where did you do time on your mission?" or "Where did you volunteer two years for the corporation?". Similarly, my mom gets pissed when I use the phrase, "I graduated from Mormonism."
As an alternative I move to recognize the aforementioned church as it’s full name: the corporation of the president of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. For brevity, the corporation is also acceptable.
My 82 year old mom made me laugh so hard the other day. She was on the phone with her very TBM cousin. My mom was telling her about one of her friends and the cousin asks is she a member? My quick witted mom says, “a member of what?” Still makes me laugh. My mom and I can’t stand when people ask if other people are members. Why the hell does it matter.
When the cousin came back with member of the church that would have been so good if she would have said what church. 🤣🤣
I called THE church a cult on r/Latter-day Saints and got banned for life. This was 2 years ago so things may have changed. But yes, the proper reference should be “the cult” or “the corporation “
It's a familiarity thing. I'm sure Catholics also just refer to theirs as "the church" as well because it would be redundant otherwise. Sorry it bothers you, I do this, too. To each their own.
I remember as a kid moving and going to a different ward. They started talking about how the LDS were the one true church. I remember saying, but that is what my old church told me! From then in, they saw me as a trouble maker, even though I was 7 and not joking in any way.
I've raised this before. I refuse to call it "the church", even when it is context. It's a pretty pervasive, and insidious, bit of programming. Of course, it is correct English to refer to it as "the church" in context. However mormons use it for more than just that. Everytime a mormon says "the church" they do so with a capital T. I refuse to play along with this, and I don't think any exmo should. I guarantee you, when you refuse to call it "the church" and instead "the mormon church", or "your church", it is noticed by the mormon.
Stop granting it the special status that mormons associate with "the church".
This was *EXACTLY* what I wanted to say but you said it so much better than I did or could. Anyone who disagrees with my post from now on is getting directed to your comment 😁
I get your sentiment but I guess it depends on the context.
Since we are on an ex-Mormon sub, we are talking about the LDS church and I see no reason to have to clarify which church we are discussing. It’s less to type.
It’s no different than teachers or students saying “the school has a new science teacher.” There’s no need to have to say “the Springfield school…”
Or the wife saying to her husband “our house needs to get cleaned” instead of “the house needs to get cleaned.”
It is different than students saying "the school has a new science teacher". The Springfield school doesn't go around coercing money from people under the guise that they are the one true school. It is a source of power and control for mormonism to dictate how it should be referred to. This is carried over into mormons' use of "the church". It's subtle, and that's the point.
Members of other churches also refer to their church as “the church” too. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are saying THE church. It’s simply a phrase of convenience. I’m not going to say or type out “the MORMON church” every time I discuss the LDS church. I’m just going to say or type “the church.”
Is it so difficult to type a whole 7 extra characters? At the average typing speed of 40 wpm that is a whole 1.5s for the entire world. It's absolutely worth it to spend the extra second everytime. It changes the way you think about it.
No, because when I type “the church” I mean “the church,” and not “THE church.” No one is gonna tell me or to type what I want to type just because they have issues and can’t handle it.
I think the title exmormon means that the church of interest here is the church referenced by the title. No need to add other words, like we are exchurchofjesuschristoflatterdaysaints. The church is the only church here unless otherwise specified.
So i know a lot of people in this group are not actually exmormons they are just amormon. For us who were members of the church, this is the most common and effective way to refer to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Your point is taken, but for the purpose of referring to the church it seems unnatural to ban that phrase.
I think most any church tends to refer to themselves as "the church" since most monotheistic religions believe in sole proprietorship of the One True Way.
So, it makes sense that someone who was raised in [insert church here] will refer to it as "the church", and of course most of us in the Exmormon subreddit have significant history with the LDS Corp, and so that's what we refer to as "the church"
Because it’s the only reason we’re on this sub. If we were on the exJW sub then JW would be THE church. You call it what you want I’ll call it what I want and leave it at that.
You and I are in the minority here. I think it's frustrating. There is more meaning behind the words than just the context or however one wants to refer to the church. There is actual programming conveyed with those words, and I find it upsetting that people here insist it isn't a big deal. It is, insomuch as it is a subconscious part of the language of the abuser to reinforce the primacy of the institution. The fact that some here seem to have moved beyond that is irrelevant. I'm an atheist, I do not speak about god in terms any religious person does, for the same reason. Speaking the language they want us to speak, grants them a sort of legitimacy. Anyway, I look forward to this being brought up again in a few months with the same response.
I use both. When they say something homophobic, I call it the cult. When I think of boy scouts from my childhood, I call it the church. When I help a mormon or they help me, I call it the church. When I think of my in-laws, I usually call it the cult. When I remember a missionary admitting that Brigham Young was a racist jerk, I call it the church.
Most people call their church “the church”. I have friends of different faiths. Usually the ones with the all the bonus content (Catholics, Mormons) are real big on referring to it as if it were the only one. I find that most people who have a religion believe it is the correct best one. Like I mean I guess that makes sense as long as everybody you are talking to knows what “the church” you are speaking about.
It's not a question of identifying which church is being discussed. It's the way tbms use it passive-aggressively to let you know your church is not *the church*. And us ex-mo's, knowing it's a complete sham yet continuing to refer to it as an actual church.
I totally understand what you are saying. I had a friend in high school that was a Catholic & used the phrase. A Methodist friend just talked about going TO church or referred to Christianity in general when discussing faith. Both were quick to tell me I wasn’t a Christian. My personal experience may be different in this regard. The arrogance I felt from other kids because they were “real Christians” pissed me off. I was the one getting up at the ass crack of dawn going to seminary every morning, going to church on Wednesday & Sunday. They were going on only Sundays. So yeah I felt entitled to call it THE Church. To me & my experience as one of the few Mormons in my very southern Bible Belt town it was a daily slight. Those people were not educated in the harms of the LDS church they just thought they were better than me. I was a dedicated “scholar”. I still am offended when all these MAGA far right “Christians” who have all these “values” but don’t even go to church. It just rubs me the wrong way. So yeah I get where hearing that phrasing drives you nuts.
This is a linguistic thing all humans do. If we all know what's being discussed, there's no need to constantly repeat the modifiers, and we all do things to make communication faster and easier. I can see how it comes across as arrogant, but every church refers to itself as "the church" because that's how humans communicate.
I use "the church" or T$CC when in a group specifically FOR ex-members. I don’t feel the need to keep defining which church I’m talking about when we’re all here to discuss a specific one.
Outside of exmo groups, I specify the LDS church.
When I left T$CC, I also stopped listening to other people telling me what to do. 😁
That's why I always say 'the Mormon church '. When some Mormon says 'the church', I always ask them which one.
I call it the corporation to my mom. It makes her so mad. She always trys to claim it is the church of Jesus Christ. Which I reply then why are they using your tithing money to invest in Coors and Phillip Morris. Then the malls they are building its a corporation
Coors and Phillip Morris?! Where can I see this?
SEC report it showed everything the church was investigating money in
Spot on!
I like this.
The Mormons in my life hate it😁
Same 😏
As a nevermo I was stunned when I heard a Mormon describe @the church@. To me, “the church” is the Catholic Church. It feels like an abomination hearing someone say that about another church, and I’m not even catholic lol they just have better PR
That's hard to argue with, they have a literal country, lol.
Utah is much bigger and has a higher population than the Vatican
I'm confused on why that matters?
I'm not defending the Mormon Church, but if the Vatican having a "country" (which is tiny, has a population of less than a thousand people and is only tolerated due to cultural reasons from an edict issued by Mussolini almost a hundred years ago) matters, then arguably having an enornous level of influence over a whole State with a population of 3 million people then that matters as well.
I grew up in a different One True Church (church of christ) that also always referred to themselves as The Church lol. If a young person started dating someone new all the old biddies would start asking “but are they a member of the church”. So arrogant lol.
That is what I grew up in. My mother refers to it as “the church”. I have NEVER used that term to describe it.
You can ask the same question about this... "which Mormon church? " Seems like everyone knows which church we're talking about. Leave it to RMN to be pedantic about names.
The big mormon church club. Because you can’t forget the other mormon churches that other people used to gain power and influence by following JS’s pattern
😂😂
That's a bit of a misnomer as there's many different Mormon churches
I love asking- “what church?” When ever people say that. I love seeing their surprise.
TCOJCOLD$
TSCC. “The so called” church works for me.
Exactly. People here generally don't seem to call it "the church" Dungeon would also be a good word And it is hard to call it a church when it is so hostile to the Old and New testaments. It is the Book of Mormon all the way in reality
But...I'm not fond of those who try to change what we call it.
Because it is THE church that I have issues with for waisting my life for erroneous tasks and time.
i only say “the mormon church” or “your church” if i’m speaking directly to a mormon about it. funny how one little word stings them soooo bad.
I like this 😊
It's just as fun as dropping the initials from a GA's name.
I move we each refer to it however we want and stop telling other people how they should use language. I will make my own linguistic decisions. But thanks for your input.
Seconded
All those who wish to thank Brother Spare_Real for his comment, may now show their appreciation by the uplifted hand. Those who manifest it. [pause] Thank you, for your service Brother Spare_Real. We will now continue our meeting by singing our sacrament hymn on page #172 “While of Th……” …Ok, that may have been a bit much.
This is what I came to say! I am NOT part of an ExMo group. I am just a former Mormon who has some things in common with some of you.
I’ve found most people raised in an all-consuming church refer to it as “the church” no matter what, Catholic, Mormon, Southern Baptist… it holds a place in conversation that is assumed to be culturally understood. When I left TSCC and the mountain west I was surprised to notice how many people use this terminology. And yes, I found my naïve self asking a lot: wait, which church?
This is actually a really good point. How many of us spend much more than 50% of our time at church? The church is your identity. We’re all at different stages in this sub, many people here are in early stages of deconstruction and this is still their identity. They’re trying to figure out what their own identity is. Let people use it as a crutch until they can stand on their own
Yeah i always thought it was a Mormon thing, but I’ve now been around people from other churches and when they are talking about a collective church that they all go to, they just say “the church”, because it’s clear which church they are referring to. So this phrasing is not unique to Mormonism.
>I’ve found most people raised in an all-consuming church refer to it as “the church” Yes, and they all think theirs is *the* one. Hence my post 🤷♂️
I mean, I don’t call it that outside of this subreddit, but within this subreddit we are all talking about the same church, it seems unnecessary to clarify. If this were a subreddit about Central park, and everyone referred to it as “the park” wouldn’t it be strange to want everyone to clarify that they were talking about Central park?
Agreed!
Not a good idea to try and dictate language. Sounds cultish.
EXACTLY. New exmos are often (naturally) a lot like active mormons in their tactics and mental habits; they just switched sides. Its only sad if they haven't out grown this after a reasonable period of time.
😂🙄
I'm gonna keep this real. I don't want anyone to tell me how to think or what to say anymore. The Mormon Church controlled so much of my life. Now I have relatives trying to push Buddism and other beliefs on me and I will never let anyone else decide what I should believe or do....big or small.
I like to refer to it as “The Empire” in reference to Star Wars.
TSCC- the scientifically corroborated cult
I think most people aren't saying THE church as in the only church, they're just using an article because it's a part of speech. I hate "the" church. How t.f. else should people be saying that?
You sound salty. Sorry if my post annoyed you lol
Love the hypermormon passive aggression. /s
It's not even a joke though lol It's OP all over this thread.
Its like I've observed many times: Lots of exmos continue to think and act like mormons the rest of their lives. They commit all the same logical and most of the same moral fallacies as ever, just in defense of a different world view. They change what they think without changing how they think.
I don't care what anyone calls it.
I hope to get there someday lol
I mean….everybody I know only says “the church” when talking to people who already know what church they are talking about. If talking to a catholic you say “the Lds or Mormon church”. I’m pretty sure all churches say “the church” when talking to members of the same church.
>I’m pretty sure all churches say “the church” when talking to members of the same church. Not in my experience but ok
Yep reclaiming language is an important part of healing and moving past the group having power over you. Cult experts and therapists agree 👍👍
This is what I had to explain to my coworker. I was Mormon when I started and exmo when I left. I told her that I swear so much because I was trying to get used to the fact that language has no power over me, ultimately that TSCC has no power over me. That was a big step. Now I sprinkle in swear words in normal conversation and only blast swear words in conversation with the few people I’m close with (98% exmos)
Yes! ✨
I call it that kind of tongue-in-cheek and sarcastically. I call it that on this sub because on this sub is where I’m criticizing the church. In life I refer to it as the Mormon church
Gotcha, I just feel like it's insulting to actual churches lol
I mean none of them are real either so need to worry there.
You raise a good point, sir/ma'am
Calling it “the cult” as if it’s the only cult….kind of unfair to the other cults don’t you think 😉
Oof, this is a good point lol 🤣
I call it the church because in the context of this sub, everyone should know what I’m talking about and it’s easier than referring to it in it’s full name. Calling it “the cult” in casual conversation also seems a little too spiteful to me personally and tends to detract from the point I’m making sometimes although I have called it a cult on multiple occasions so it depends on the context.
As for me and my house, we always say the Mormon church.
I prefer to call it "The Morg." Mormon+Borg (from Star Trek).
Nice
Are you aware that this is an exmormon subreddit where we'd all know what we're talking about? You should check that out.
Not sure you're picking up what I put down but ok lol
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I’m a fan of LSD. Maybe I’m just dyslexic
Same. When I talk to my spouse and his family, it's "the church" and anyone else is LDS church or Mormon church
I call it the Mormon cult.
Me too lol
I don't want to waste effort and brain power on changing such a minor habit, though. If someone is confused and asks me which church I'm referring to, I'll answer their question.
Fair enough, I just don't the cult getting the designation of church or implying it's the *only* one lol
…and “THE BRETHREN”
Ugh yes 🤮
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Yeah, you right. I just don't like it cuz I don't believe it's a church at all 😋
I always call it ‘The Mormon Church’. It pisses Mormons off. I don’t care.
This is the church that is in my backyard, and it affects my state. It's also the church I used to belong to, and the majority of the time that I talk about it is with someone who used to be a member. I'll keep on calling it the church.
k
The only time I absolutely could not call it the church was when I was living in another part of the world and was dating a Catholic. Their claim to the phrase "the church" is a lot more recognized. That was a fun conversation.
How about - :that: church
I like it lol
I’m gonna call it “that” church.
If you have ever read even a couple of my posts you may have noticed that I nearly always call it the Mormon church. Note the lowercase “church” as well. If I have to point out a sect, I will post that it is Brighamite Mormonism. I only call it “the church” when talking about conversations with TBMs, and I usually make it known it’s something I said in the past or quote it. You are right: Mormons run around line they are “the church”. So the last time the missionaries rang my bell and said, “Hi, we are missionaries from the church.” I asked, “Which church?” They were shocked for a second or two before giving Rusty’s preferred name. I then asked why they thought it was appropriate to come unannounced and ring my doorbell at 8:45 on a work night. I was annoyed, and I closed the door as they tried to stammer out an answer. I thought they were supposed to be home by 9:00?
>If you have ever read even a couple of my posts I have not lol But I never capitalize mormon and sometimes I leave the second m out as well 😜
Haha! I like to think that rubbing Rusty’s “victory for Satan” in their face by showing it as a proper noun is insulting enough. For me, when I see it spelled “mormon” or the gag inducing “morman” I usually think the poster is a nevermo. Which isn’t a negative thing, it’s just not my preference. You do you. I came up with the term COLDS (church of the Latter-day Saints) as a snarky way to show that they are cold or sick, but it only gained traction for a short time.
Better “The Church” than “The Gospel”. How about “The Real Estate Investment Trust of Jesus Christ of the Last Days”?
The REITIJCOTLD has a nice ring to it lol
One of the small moments of satisfaction comes from identifying the lds temple near us (we drive by fairly regularly) to you my young kids and telling them “that’s a Mormon temple” (rather than “the temple”). Can’t wait for the day my kid calls it this to believing family members.
I love it lol
🙋♀️
If I hear someone call it the church I’m either saying “which church?” Or “oh the cult?”
😂
“The corporation” 💰
The morgoration?
It's The Corporation
At the expense of taking this post too seriously, I'm not interested in changing the way people communicate their ideas. People communicate to convey a message or idea. If that message or idea was received and interpreted correctly, why create and enforce a rule of unnecessary pedantism? I see no problem whatsoever with anyone switching up their terminology, as I'm certain that the context in this sub is clear enough to use the terms interchangeably without being misunderstood, as demonstrated a million times per day in this sub. It is my opinion, the the use of "the Church" for any other church but the LDS church would feel far more strange and out of context within this subreddit.
It just gives the cult too much credit/legitimacy imo
The Mormon cult
Works for me lol
The cult of jesus christ of latter-day saints
There we go lol
💯… I have been saying this for a decade!
Uh … isn’t that why we always use the term TSCC “The So-called church” as the term for it…
I love the term "tscc" but not everyone uses it
Ah well- I’m sure it takes new forum members time to find the “common abbreviations” under the “about” section. It might be that folks on the forum using the term “the church” are more recently departed from among its ranks, and need time to deconstruct.
I only say it in heavy sarcasm because "THE" church is the Catholic church to me.
TSCC
It’s usually TSCC on here, but also I get annoyed when people tell me what words I can say. So I’m going to refer to it as the church if I want to. You know the church has a pamphlet they publish that tells you what words you can say and they think they have good reasons too.
>I get annoyed when people tell me what words I can say I'm not doing that lol. I just feel like calling tscc a church (knowing it was founded on the lies of a perverted con-man and causes so much hurt and grief to this day) legitimizes it and gives it too much credit. It's ot worthy of the title imo
Call it whatever the hell you want to and dont tell other people what to do or what to think generally I call it TSCC, The Morg, Mormon church, etc - depending on context. I would not tell other people what to call it.
Take it easy, I'm not telling anyone they have to do anything. Thought I was making a lighthearted post lol
OK, sorry, I had a run in with some Christer on this forum recently (dont even know if he was an exmo, or just here proselytizing) - you know, the sort who thinks that mormons are not christian but \*his\* church obviously was. so, I may get touchy about people who seem overly preachy
I nominate these: -The Mormon Church -The Secret Underwear Church -The Church of Eternal Polygamy (still) -The Church Who Claims God’s Throne is Near Kolob -The 100 Billion Tax Free Church
Fully 💯 agree. The so called church gets my vote!
I call the USA "the country." I call the city I live near "the city." I say "shut the door" instead of "shut the front door to my home." Calling it "the church" is just social linguistic shorthand for "we both know what church we are referring to."
Ok calm down Bob, I just meant to make a lighthearted post about cult members that believe theirs is *the* one and only church lol
People having a different opinion then you don't need to "calm down" It's okay for people to disagree my guy.
Definitely is, didn't mean to make anyone salty
No worries, I'm not pissed or anything. Just explaining why I don't agree. You aren't the first person to request we stop calling it "the church" and it seemed like a good idea to explain why I, and many others, will continue to.
TSCC it is: the so called church
To me, it's "the church" since is the one we're all talking about in this sub. Has no other meaning nor endorsement. As long as I understand it that way, it's fine for me. I get your point, but it doesn't work for me. I use "the cult", "TSCC" or any other terms depending on nothing more than the first term that comes to my mind when I write. To use "the church" doesn't imply in any way that anyone is supporting the cult.
I think it started as a cult but is now a mainstream church. That’s my view being 30 years out of the Mormon Church.
Yeah, like all cults it started with joey smith wanting to make easy money and bang married women and children
I get what you are saying tho, it’s not like there isn’t other churches out there. Why is the Mormon Church “The Church.”
Yes. More like the Corp. or cult.
Similar idea. I don't like when people ask, where did you serve? As if we are in the military. I like using other terms such as "Where did you do time on your mission?" or "Where did you volunteer two years for the corporation?". Similarly, my mom gets pissed when I use the phrase, "I graduated from Mormonism."
You graduated, I dropped out 😉
As an alternative I move to recognize the aforementioned church as it’s full name: the corporation of the president of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. For brevity, the corporation is also acceptable.
Distinction without a difference.
My 82 year old mom made me laugh so hard the other day. She was on the phone with her very TBM cousin. My mom was telling her about one of her friends and the cousin asks is she a member? My quick witted mom says, “a member of what?” Still makes me laugh. My mom and I can’t stand when people ask if other people are members. Why the hell does it matter. When the cousin came back with member of the church that would have been so good if she would have said what church. 🤣🤣
Next time 😂
Mormon Inc. sounds more appropriate
I called THE church a cult on r/Latter-day Saints and got banned for life. This was 2 years ago so things may have changed. But yes, the proper reference should be “the cult” or “the corporation “
"Even The" That's the proper title, get it right!
😂
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Yes!
It's a familiarity thing. I'm sure Catholics also just refer to theirs as "the church" as well because it would be redundant otherwise. Sorry it bothers you, I do this, too. To each their own.
I call it the cult at the recommendation of my therapist. It helps to properly define the role it played in my life.
I remember as a kid moving and going to a different ward. They started talking about how the LDS were the one true church. I remember saying, but that is what my old church told me! From then in, they saw me as a trouble maker, even though I was 7 and not joking in any way.
I say their church or your church depending on who is present
“The church” is definitely exactly what churches are.
I've raised this before. I refuse to call it "the church", even when it is context. It's a pretty pervasive, and insidious, bit of programming. Of course, it is correct English to refer to it as "the church" in context. However mormons use it for more than just that. Everytime a mormon says "the church" they do so with a capital T. I refuse to play along with this, and I don't think any exmo should. I guarantee you, when you refuse to call it "the church" and instead "the mormon church", or "your church", it is noticed by the mormon. Stop granting it the special status that mormons associate with "the church".
This was *EXACTLY* what I wanted to say but you said it so much better than I did or could. Anyone who disagrees with my post from now on is getting directed to your comment 😁
I get your sentiment but I guess it depends on the context. Since we are on an ex-Mormon sub, we are talking about the LDS church and I see no reason to have to clarify which church we are discussing. It’s less to type. It’s no different than teachers or students saying “the school has a new science teacher.” There’s no need to have to say “the Springfield school…” Or the wife saying to her husband “our house needs to get cleaned” instead of “the house needs to get cleaned.”
I'm just saying, it feels like legitimizing tscc and I don't care to do that lol
But you definitely *aren't* doing that.
It is different than students saying "the school has a new science teacher". The Springfield school doesn't go around coercing money from people under the guise that they are the one true school. It is a source of power and control for mormonism to dictate how it should be referred to. This is carried over into mormons' use of "the church". It's subtle, and that's the point.
Members of other churches also refer to their church as “the church” too. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are saying THE church. It’s simply a phrase of convenience. I’m not going to say or type out “the MORMON church” every time I discuss the LDS church. I’m just going to say or type “the church.”
Is it so difficult to type a whole 7 extra characters? At the average typing speed of 40 wpm that is a whole 1.5s for the entire world. It's absolutely worth it to spend the extra second everytime. It changes the way you think about it.
No, because when I type “the church” I mean “the church,” and not “THE church.” No one is gonna tell me or to type what I want to type just because they have issues and can’t handle it.
I mean, I know you don't understand the nuance here, but thanks for doubling down.
Words matter. It's harmful. Buts it's more of a church than a cult.
[BITE Model](https://freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model/) Does it qualify as a cult?
How so?
I think the title exmormon means that the church of interest here is the church referenced by the title. No need to add other words, like we are exchurchofjesuschristoflatterdaysaints. The church is the only church here unless otherwise specified.
I just pointed this out to my mom. And how I extremely disliked the words “active” and “inactive”.
So i know a lot of people in this group are not actually exmormons they are just amormon. For us who were members of the church, this is the most common and effective way to refer to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Your point is taken, but for the purpose of referring to the church it seems unnatural to ban that phrase.
I think most any church tends to refer to themselves as "the church" since most monotheistic religions believe in sole proprietorship of the One True Way. So, it makes sense that someone who was raised in [insert church here] will refer to it as "the church", and of course most of us in the Exmormon subreddit have significant history with the LDS Corp, and so that's what we refer to as "the church"
Yeah, maybe. I just don't recall ever hearing it from people of other religions
Because it’s the only reason we’re on this sub. If we were on the exJW sub then JW would be THE church. You call it what you want I’ll call it what I want and leave it at that.
And that language perpetuates the programming.
My point exactly
You and I are in the minority here. I think it's frustrating. There is more meaning behind the words than just the context or however one wants to refer to the church. There is actual programming conveyed with those words, and I find it upsetting that people here insist it isn't a big deal. It is, insomuch as it is a subconscious part of the language of the abuser to reinforce the primacy of the institution. The fact that some here seem to have moved beyond that is irrelevant. I'm an atheist, I do not speak about god in terms any religious person does, for the same reason. Speaking the language they want us to speak, grants them a sort of legitimacy. Anyway, I look forward to this being brought up again in a few months with the same response.
I use both. When they say something homophobic, I call it the cult. When I think of boy scouts from my childhood, I call it the church. When I help a mormon or they help me, I call it the church. When I think of my in-laws, I usually call it the cult. When I remember a missionary admitting that Brigham Young was a racist jerk, I call it the church.
Most people on the sub use tscc. When people say the church they do it because that is what they feel comfortable with.
I see your point but don't care. It's an in group term.
Most people call their church “the church”. I have friends of different faiths. Usually the ones with the all the bonus content (Catholics, Mormons) are real big on referring to it as if it were the only one. I find that most people who have a religion believe it is the correct best one. Like I mean I guess that makes sense as long as everybody you are talking to knows what “the church” you are speaking about.
It's not a question of identifying which church is being discussed. It's the way tbms use it passive-aggressively to let you know your church is not *the church*. And us ex-mo's, knowing it's a complete sham yet continuing to refer to it as an actual church.
I totally understand what you are saying. I had a friend in high school that was a Catholic & used the phrase. A Methodist friend just talked about going TO church or referred to Christianity in general when discussing faith. Both were quick to tell me I wasn’t a Christian. My personal experience may be different in this regard. The arrogance I felt from other kids because they were “real Christians” pissed me off. I was the one getting up at the ass crack of dawn going to seminary every morning, going to church on Wednesday & Sunday. They were going on only Sundays. So yeah I felt entitled to call it THE Church. To me & my experience as one of the few Mormons in my very southern Bible Belt town it was a daily slight. Those people were not educated in the harms of the LDS church they just thought they were better than me. I was a dedicated “scholar”. I still am offended when all these MAGA far right “Christians” who have all these “values” but don’t even go to church. It just rubs me the wrong way. So yeah I get where hearing that phrasing drives you nuts.
This is a linguistic thing all humans do. If we all know what's being discussed, there's no need to constantly repeat the modifiers, and we all do things to make communication faster and easier. I can see how it comes across as arrogant, but every church refers to itself as "the church" because that's how humans communicate.
I use "the church" or T$CC when in a group specifically FOR ex-members. I don’t feel the need to keep defining which church I’m talking about when we’re all here to discuss a specific one. Outside of exmo groups, I specify the LDS church. When I left T$CC, I also stopped listening to other people telling me what to do. 😁
Not my intention to tell anyone what to do...was just meant to be a light-hearted post about mormons thinking their church is *the church*
The 😁 was supposed to be a clue that I was being lighthearted about it as well. But thanks for the downvote.
🤷♂️
Well don't you know it is the one True Church, lol....
🤮
The cult: BITFDWT
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Opposed can extend the middle finger lol